RIVERSIDE, Calif. — More than 250 K-12 students from 30 schools in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) will present their science and engineering projects to the community next week at the University of California, Riverside.

The students will participate in the 25th annual Science and Engineering Fair, which will take place Feb. 10-11 in Room 302 in the Highlander Union Building on campus.

Their projects will address questions such as: Do you read slower chewing gum? Does color affect people’s emotions? Does it affect plant growth? What could have prevented the Titanic from rusting? What is the fastest way to chill a soda can? And do bugs really have a color preference?

The public can find out the answers and view all the projects on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. (parking is free in Lot 24). The awards ceremony at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Ramona High School is also open to the public.

A hands-on competition designed to capture the interest of young people, the fair has in past years inspired students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The students will set up their projects on Monday, Feb. 10; UC Riverside faculty, graduate students (including some from the Department of Sociology) and postdoctoral researchers will judge the competition on Tuesday, Feb. 11; UCR undergraduates who make up the Science Ambassadors in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) will judge all the primary and elementary projects.